The writer Michael Robbins had a clear view about the joys of travelling by train. "The railway etches in fresh detail to the scene," he noted in his 1962 classic The Railway Age. "It rarely jars and it usually pleases." It is, quite simply, the best way to travel: far superior to cramped aircraft or to coaches that twist round narrow continental roads. A train is a calm, contemplative, relaxing - and occasionally romantic - way to begin a holiday.

It does have drawbacks, of course. It still takes time to take a train to distant parts, particularly ski resorts. Even Alpine villages relatively close to Britain require a day's travelling, despite the introduction of Eurostar services. Such journey times can seriously diminish a train's allure.

But bit by bit, things are getting better - a new line here, a high-speed link there. And last year one of the most dramatic improvements was made by the Swiss, who completed construction of one of Europe's most ambitious railway projects: the 21-mile Lötschberg Base Tunnel between Bern and Visp.

At a cost of £2.5bn, the Lötschberg is the longest land tunnel in the world and replaces a slower underground rail line. It now sweeps passengers deep below the Alps on journeys between northern and southern Switzerland. It is a major transport boost for the Swiss, but it is also a boon for foreign skiers heading for Switzerland's key resorts direct from the country's main airports at Bern and Zurich. The new tunnel slashes one hour five minutes from the journey, and means you can reach Zermatt, Saas Fee and other major resorts in half the time an airport coach would take - and in style.

I recently tested the new tunnel, which opened last year, when I travelled from Zurich airport station on a train, to Visp and then on to Zermatt. The carriages were clean, uncrowded and had two storeys. My daughter Anna and I lounged on the upper deck and watched the Swiss countryside sweep past as we headed west to Bern and from there southwards towards Visp. At Lötschberg, our train plunged under the mountain at 125mph. More than 16 million tonnes of rock were cleared to construct the tunnel. The Swiss have even put the rail tracks on rubber shoes to absorb vibrations. I checked my mobile phone as we hurtled under the Alps and there was, of course, a signal. Needless to say, after emerging from the tunnel, we swept into Visp exactly on time.

From Visp, the train climbs up though the snowline, through tiny villages, chalets and white frozen fields. For this section, it is worth paying extra to sit in the observation carriage so you can get a proper look at the white crags towering over the track. And if you feel like it, you can keep on travelling by rail when you reach Zermatt. At the town's station, the Gornergrat train will take you on the final link of your journey to the Gifthittli ski slopes, an ascent from 1,620m to 3,090m. The trains are heated, regular and offer stunning panoramas as you climb through pine and larch forest and then out on to the glistening Gornergrat ridge, with its fine long runs back down to Riffelalp and Zermatt.

The line is Europe's highest open-air cogwheel rail line and has been carrying skiers to the Gifthittli pistes for more than a century, a reminder of the enduring attraction of Zermatt which this year marked its 170th anniversary as a tourist destination. In 1838, a local surgeon opened a guesthouse that could accommodate three people - and it flourished. Tourists came for the mountaineering and later for the skiing. Today, the resort can accommodate 14,000 visitors in 112 hotels and 2,000 holiday apartments, though you can still get a feel of what the old Zermatt must have been like from the old black-beamed barns that stand beside the town's swish restaurants and shops.

Over the decades, Zermatt's fortunes have fluctuated. On a previous visit, more than 10 years ago, it was looking a little ragged. Its lifts were cramped and the towbars were ageing. Since then the resort has had a facelift: sumptuous new lifts have been installed; the Klein Matterhorn and Gornergrat pistes are now linked by cable cars; and large electronic display boards providing information about pistes and lifts have been put up at important points.

The town still strains to cope with the swathes of skiers who flock here, but just about manages. There are queues on popular lifts at weekends but nothing too extreme. In any case, this is not a resort to take in at a rush. It is one to savour and there is a plethora of good restaurants on the slopes to help you do that.

In Zermatt you can eat well in just about every cuisine you care to contemplate. We chose the Zur Alten Mühle for our blow-out night and did well on its seafood starters, steaks and frites. Zermatt - unlike many other Swiss resorts - is also well-supplied with nightclubs, though we confined our après-ski activities to the Antares Bar, where I discovered Anna had developed a staggering capacity for gin and tonic.

For all its glamour, Zermatt would be nothing without the Matterhorn, however. Its enormous, chiselled pyramid towers over its landscape and gives the place a resonance possessed by no other ski resort. Our hotel, the Bijou, had a breakfast bar in its conservatory and we sat mesmerised by the great peak glistening in the sun every morning. It was a perfect start to the day.

As for our return journey, that proved to be as relaxing and efficient as our outward trip. Certainly it beats a coach transfer hands down. Indeed, the next time we come to Zermatt, Anna and I have decided we will do the trip properly and go all the way by rail. Eurostar trains leave St Pancras at 7.20am and 8.40am and will get you into Zermatt, via Paris and Lausanne, by 8.14pm and 9.14pm respectively that day. Prices start at around £160 return. Michael Robbins would certainly have approved.

Essentials

Robin McKie travelled with Swiss International Air Lines (0845 601 0956; swiss.com) which flies from London, Birmingham and Manchester to Zurich, Geneva and Basel from £69 return. A £67 Swiss Transfer Ticket allows a return rail transfer from Swiss airports to resorts, but must be bought in the UK from the Switzerland Travel Centre on 00 800 100 200 30 or at myswitzerland.com/rail. Under-16s travel free, with a paying adult. The Bijou Hotel (00 41 27 966 5151; hotel-bijou.ch) offers doubles from CHF130 (£76).